


like a hurricane thundercloud

by burningjackets



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-15
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-11-10 00:12:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burningjackets/pseuds/burningjackets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which niall is awake, zayn is asleep at the wheel, and it is way too early for this. (rock band au)</p>
            </blockquote>





	like a hurricane thundercloud

**Author's Note:**

> rock and roll band aus are pretty ace. (lyrics from closer by kings of leon, title from kettering by the antlers)

The van rocked under Niall’s back as it sped down the road.

The lights in the van, strung on the ceiling on chains, lit up parts of the myriad of people sleeping soundly. One second, it was Louis’ chin, resting on Harry’s shoulder. They lost the coin toss so they got the floor, which was covered with heaps of pillows and blankets.

Another swing of the lights, Liam’s forehead appeared from the darkness. He had called the ragged old couch and was sleeping there soundly, a little smile on his lips as he turned to bury his face in his pillow.

Niall watched the pieces of his friend’s face flash and disappear for a few minutes more, before sitting up slowly. He got the solitary bed that night, and the rusted bed springs creaked under his body noisily. He froze until he made sure no one had woken up, and stretched out silently, bending back until his back popped and twisting his torso to the left, sighing hard at the twinge of pain from his stiff muscles. He padded to the driver’s seat and peeked by the pink curtain that separated the driver’s instruments from the ruckus in the back.

Zayn was at the wheel, slumped in the driver’s seat with his hand on the shift. His head was bobbing along to some melody in his head. The slowly rising sun outlined Zayn in a golden sort of halo, making his rumpled plaid shirt and his moth hole –ridden jeans more godly then they were.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Niall whispered, and Zayn flinched at his voice, turning his head quickly to glare at him.

“Good morning, Niall,” He grumbled back, flicking his eyes back to the road. The streetlights had been getting farther and farther apart, and Zayn had been counting them to keep himself from falling asleep.

“You want to tag-team me?” Niall asked, pushing past the curtain and plopping himself down in the passenger’s seat, doing up his seatbelt carefully. Zayn smirked at the faded lines of the road.

“You know I do, Nialler,” Zayn turned his head to wink at him, and Niall blushed, reaching out to punch him hard in the shoulder.

“Not what I meant,” He muttered, and Zayn smiled, tapping out a beat on his steering wheel with his fingertips.

“You’re not tired?” Niall continued after a beat, and Zayn shook his head. Niall smiled at his slightly drooping eyes, and turned his head to look out the window. Let Zayn be in denial for a few moments longer.

It was pleasant, to be honest. Niall looked out his window to look at the blurs of trees and farms passing by, and Zayn stared into the beginnings of a sunrise in front of them, still tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel.

Niall leaned forward to fiddle with the radio, the creaking of the seats loud in the weird silence of the cabin. A low Kings of Leon song was spitting out of the speakers soon, and Niall starting humming the tune nonsensically, drumming his fingers on the dashboard. Zayn found himself singing the lyrics under his breath, watching the sun paint the clouds red and yellow and pink.  
“Zayn?” Niall muttered suddenly, and Zayn grunted, “…Mmm?”

A pale hand wrapped around the back of his tanner one, and Zayn flipped his hand over so their fingers would interlock, eyes still staring at the road. He brought their hands over his knee, rubbing the skin of Niall’s hand with his thumb.

Niall’s hand was a guitar man’s hand; cracked and calloused and rough to touch. Zayn’s own was softer, someone who droned into microphones for a living, a rough patch between his pointer and his thumb. 

Zayn could feel Niall sing along music under his breath _(baby where do I sleep feels so good but I'm old two thousand years of chasing taking its toll),_ and Zayn thought about asking him if he could sing it for the next show. It was bluesy and rock n roll and everything Niall’s voice wasn’t, and it would sound like beautiful contradiction. _(zayn you’re so full of it)_

Zayn traced Niall’s knuckles with the pad of his fingers softly, feather-light. Niall played with his bracelets with his free hand, rolling the beads between his fingers, and Zayn mmm-ed at the touch.

“Are you sure you’re okay, babe?” Niall asked, and Zayn nodded, raising his eyebrows and opening his eyes wide to try and look more convincing. What wasn’t convincing was the way his eyes kept drooping, and how his head would bob into his chest before snapping out of it and laser-focusing on the road.

“Liar,” Niall teased, and Zayn shot him a smile, squeezing his hand softly. 

“I’m going to wake up Liam, alright? He’s been out for 10 now. Then you and I’ll get some sleep, okay?” Niall said soothingly. Zayn nodded slowly, and Niall nodded, disentangling his hand from Zayn’s and unbuckling his seat belt.

“Mr. Safety,” He heard Zayn tease, and he resisted the urge to hit him, settling from yanking on his hair as he passed by. _(niall stop it that’s a work of art you’re destroying there)_

He pushed back the curtain and into the main part of their van, stepping over Harry and Louis curled up together on the floor. He got to Liam, who was mumbling something quiet in his sleep, and bent down next to him, gently tapping him on the shoulder. 

No response.

Niall shrugged and took a seat on Liam’s stomach. He got spitting distance off his ear, cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled “Wake up!” then slapped him hard, right in the nuts and berries.

“I’m up, you idiot,” Liam groaned underneath him, slapping a hand to his crotch in pain, and Niall jumped off of him, smiling. 

“I gave you your chance, Payne. Now drive, me and Zayn have to hit the hay,” Niall gave Liam waggly eyebrows, and Liam groaned, rolling over and burying himself in his pillow, trying to go to sleep again.

“Oh no you’re not,” Niall said, slapping him on the ass before forcefully turning him back over. 

“What would your boyfriend think if he saw you molesting me?” Liam grumbled, his arms coming up to shield his eyes from the small bits of sun streaming through the window.

“We’re all going to die if you don’t get up there right now. Zayn’s sleeping at the wheel, Lili,” Niall pleaded, ignoring the molestation joke, and Liam groaned quietly before standing up.

“You owe me, Ni,” He warned, giving him a sleepy Liam Payne Death Glare© before standing up and zombie-walking his way to the cabin, running a hand through his hair and adjusting his clothes on his way.

Niall could hear the sleepy exchanges of “Good morning, Lili,” and “G’Morning, Zayners,” before Zayn pulled the van over to switch drivers. 

Niall stumbled his way to his bed, falling face first into the pillows, and got himself under the blankets.

He was just getting comfortable when a large, sleepy someone decided to crawl under the blankets with him and press himself to Niall’s back, breath hot on his neck and an arm coming around him to rest on his hip.

“Tired, are we?” Niall croaked, and Zayn mumbled, “Shut up,” before tucking his head between Niall’s shoulder blades and shutting his eyes.

Niall smiled at him softly before pulling up the blankets around them both. He hummed a bit of Pyro, grinning when he felt Zayn smile against his shirt and draw patterns onto the skin of his hip, and they slowly, surely fell asleep.

The sun rose higher outside the van windows, painting faces with streams of pink and yellow, and all you could hear was Liam softly singing the lyrics to some Celine Dion song he’d uncovered. 

The sun rose, and the van sped on.


End file.
